Bates Motel ‘Caleb’ Recap – Episode 02.03

March 18, 2014

On this week’s Bates Motel everyone seemed to be making new friends and someone received a blast from the past.

The Breakdown

This week’s episode of Bates Motel entitled Caleb started off showing Bradley’s clothes and suicide note near the water; just where Dylan said they would be placed. Emma brought the newspaper to Norman showing him the story about Bradley’s death. Emma appeared grief-stricken, to our surprise. But, she was worried about Norman, who knowing the truth acted just fine.

Later Norma was checking the list for South Pacific to see if she and Norman made the cut. Unfortunately for Norma, she did not and Norman was recruited for the chorus. As Norma viewed the bad news outside the building, the new character Christine walked out to find her there. She explained to Norma that she quit because Norma was not given the lead in the musical as she deserved it. There were politics involved, but it seemed to comfort Norma a bit to talk to Christine. Within seconds, the woman invited Norma for a drink and said she was one of the most interesting people in town. (Got that right!)

Last week’s episode ended with Norma’s brother showing up in town looking for the motel. This week he showed up there looking for Norma, but got Dylan instead. He told Dylan he was Norma’s brother so Dylan brought him up to the house for a chat. When Norma arrived home she walked in to find her brother Caleb sitting at the kitchen table with Dylan. Norma completely freaked out and threw him out of the house telling Dylan to never let him in again. Dylan was obviously shocked and curious as to why.

Dylan and Remo found two of their friends / co-workers dead near the fields. They spoke to Zane about it who seemed fine with the new tit-for-tat mentality that obviously began. Although Dylan made it clear that he would leave it alone and concentrate on “the product” instead, Zane disagreed.

Norma received a call from Christine strongly inviting her to a garden party that afternoon. Norma was reluctant, but agreed. As Norma was getting ready for the party Dylan popped by her room. Norma tried to tell him that her brother Caleb was not to be in their lives, but would still not tell Dylan why. (If you remember from last season, we watched Norma tell Norman that her brother had raped her for years.)

Norman showed up at the set of South Pacific to resign from the chorus and ran into the cashier from the grocery store (Cody) who invited him to build sets instead. Norman seemed interested in both building sets and the girl.

Later at the garden party, Norma seemed to make a good impression on the rich invitees. She then discovered that it all may have been a setup for Norma and Christine’s recently divorced brother. Although she declined his proposal to move forward getting to know each other, Norma did not seem to completely discount the idea. As she left the party she ran into the man from 1) Norman’s picture by Ms. Watson’s grave and 2) Sheriff Romero’s discussion last week. The man, Nick Ford, gave her props for speaking up about the bypass at the city council meeting. Norma got his business card with hopes of contacting him for his support in the future.

Dylan ended up seeing Caleb in town who would be staying on for a bit longer due to flight availability. Dylan agreed to dinner with Caleb which turned out to provide Dylan some info on Norma. Caleb told Dylan that his and Norma’s father was not good to them and that Norma never forgave him for not protecting her. Soon after, Dylan handed Caleb about $10k cash for a piece of property that Caleb wanted to buy.

Emma decided to plan a memorial at the beach for Bradley. Unfortunately for Emma, the memorial turned into more of a party than a memorial. However, she found comfort with a local boy selling marijuana at the party. After having too much to drink, the boy took Emma home.

Norman seemed to have a decent time at the beach party as well, spending some time with Cody and her boyfriend. Until, the boyfriend – while making out with Cody – began rubbing Norman’s leg. (Hello!) Norman decided to leave and the girl followed explaining that the boyfriend was not her “boyfriend”. She told Norman the boy was gay and assumed that Norman was as well. Norman set her straight pretty quick and the two continued their walk home.

Back at the house, Dylan and Norma were discussing Caleb. Dylan told Norma what Caleb had said about their father and why he thought Norma wanted nothing to do with Caleb – because he did not protect her from their father. Finally Norma had enough and screamed at Dylan that her brother had raped her. But, Dylan did not believe her. The two went back and forth yelling at each other when Norman walked in after his party. He heard the yelling, ran to the kitchen, and grabbed a hold of Dylan.

The two began to fist-fight until Norman had Dylan on the floor punching him. Dylan told Norman that Norma was lying as Norman continued to punch him until finally Norma ended it with her next words. She told the guys that Caleb was Dylan’s father.

The Analysis

It was another great episode of Bates Motel with a ton of activity and new characters rising to the surface. Let’s take a look at who we have met so far…

We have Cody, a possible new love interest for Norman since Bradley is gone. I guess he and Emma are just going to remain friends; at least it seems that way. Cody certainly seems like the “bad girl” type; maybe that is just what Norman needs!

We then have Nick, who keeps popping up. From Ms. Watson’s grave to Sheriff Romero’s conversation to a garden party talking to Norma? I am keeping an eye on this guy; I have a feeling he is a major player all around in this little town.

Then there is Christine, Norma’s new friend. What could her story be? Did she really just try to set up her brother with someone interesting – Norma? Well, she could not have picked a more interesting woman in town – that’s for sure! Maybe Christine can lend a hand to Norma’s plea to stop the bypass; especially if she has the kind of money that it appears she does.

Finally the best of all is Caleb – Norma’s brother. We heard there would be some family coming into this season of Bates Motel. And, what about the bombshell that Caleb is Dylan’s father?! Wow – I loved that surprise! I do not think that Dylan can call Norma a liar anymore about being raped by her brother.

I think these new characters are great additions to the show because they are bringing out more from the characters that we already love to watch – Norma, Norman, and Dylan. We are learning more about their pasts, their presents, and possibly their futures through the additions.

Will Cody bring out the bad boy inside of Norman? Possibly – maybe she will bring out enough to set him off…again.

I think that Nick certainly has a big part in the story that will probably come out more and more over time.

What is Christine’s agenda? – Not sure yet. But, I think she could be a very good ally to Norma.

Caleb really adds some great stuff to the show. Personally, I think he came looking for Norma for money. So, Dylan handing him over thousands of dollars for some property was no surprise. I really hope he sticks around for a while. Next week we should see what happens with the new information that Dylan is his son.

What did you think of this week’s Bates Motel? Who is your favorite new character this season so far? Who do you think will rattle the cages the most?

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About The Author

Sandy Stachowiak

is an IT Project Manager and team manager with a B.S. in Information Technology. She is also a Freelance Writer in her spare time. So, when she is not working or writing she enjoys TV with her family. Dramas and reality shows are her favorites. Sandy has also been an avid horror movie fanatic since she was a kid. Visit her blog at: http://www.sandystachowiak.com.